Guiding Light
by Kawaii-Kanda.Panda
Summary: No matter what, she would always be there for them. Zack x Oc x Cloud
1. Chapter 1

Megumi-chan: To be clear, this is like a prolouge of sorts, introducing one of the major characters, Mei. And then the next is when Shinra is after Cloud and Zack. You'll understand(Hopefully) as the story goes along.

Claim: I own Mei and any other original characters.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cloud, Zack, or any other characters that belong to FFVII. Square Enix does.

**~*~Log I: Beginning~*~**

"Zack~" The young black haired male turned, only to be glomped by a smaller form, slender arms winding around his neck as bright blue green eyes bore into his own. Backing away, the young girl smiled as she brushed a few strands of dark brown hair away from her face.

Zack grinned at the younger girl. "Hey Mei." he greeted, and Mei's cheeks puffed out indignantly as she placed her hands on her hips, moving forward so that she stood right in front of him.

"'Hey Mei'? I don't see you in three months and all you say is, 'hey Mei?' I can't believe you!" she ranted, though her eyes glittered, showing that she wasn't truely upset as she reached forward and hugged him tightly. "I've missed you."

Zack's mako colored eyes softened and he wrapped his arms around Mei's slender body. "I missed you too." he whispered, and Mei smiled brightly as she stepped back, slender hands locking together behind her back as her eyes slid shut, and her head tilted to the side.

"Mother's making dinner, you want some?" she asked, and Zack smiled and nodded. Laughing softly, Mei reached forward and pulled on his hand, tugging him with her towards the smaller house in the distance.

"So Zack, where've you been all this time? Mei's missed you." teased Mei's mother, Satsuki, as she glanced towards the dark haired male, and Mei nearly choked on her water.

"M-mother!" she spluttered, a soft blush crossing over her features as she glared at Satsuki, who merely laughed before resuming eating. Zack shifted in his seat.

"I'm planning on becoming a SOLDIER." he said, and almost immediately, the pleasant atmosphere in the room disappeared, an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air as both Mei and Satsuki looked up. Satsuki smiled faintly.

"Oh...Well, be careful, alright?" she asked before standing up and taking her plate to the sink to wash it. Mei remained silent, staring at her plate. Her father, Hiroshi, had been a SOLDIER. Key word: _had been._ He had died a few years back, and both Mei and Satsuki still missed him.

"Mei?" Zack's voice was soft, barely above a whisper as he glanced at the brown haired girl, who's bangs had fallen over her eyes, keeping her expression from view as she clenched her fork tightly. Dropping the silverware onto the plate, she pushed away from the table and ran out the door, Zack staring at her back as she receeded from sight. He sighed quietly and got up as well.

Mei stared at the ground with indifference, biting her lip as she struggled to keep the tears at bay, slender hands clenching into fists as her fingernails dug into the soft flesh of her palms. A gloved hand landed on her shoulder.

"Mei. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" Zack's apology was cut off as Mei looked up, soft blue green eyes connecting with his own mako.

"It's okay, Zack." she said softly, a gentle smile pulling at her lips as she turned to face him completely, "It doesn't matter. You can be a SOLDIER if you want, just be careful, okay? I-I don't want to lose my best friend." Mei bit her lip and looked away.

"Mei." Mei didn't look up. "Mei, look at me." She turned, and Zack smiled as he raised a hand and placed it on her cheek, her eyes closing as she leaned into his touch before her eyes opened again. "Don't worry, okay? I'll be fine. And I'll make sure to come visit you and Satsuki."

Mei nodded before smiling and punching his shoulder. "You better, because I'll kick your butt if you don't." she warned, and Zack grinned as he faked being wounded, one hand going to clutch where she hit his shoulder.

"Oh, you hurt me so. Why must you be so cruel?" he pretended to cry, and Mei giggled before slapping his shoulder again as she shifted her weight to one foot.

"You big goof. Still, promise you'll come visit when you have the chance?" she held out her pinky, and Zack nodded before holding out his own, and Mei's curled around his.

"I promise." he said before pressing a kiss to her forehead and turning to leave, his broad back fading from sight as Mei stood there, watching him leave. Clasping her hands in front of her, Mei bowed her head.

"I know you will, Zack. I know you will. And I'll keep waiting until you do."

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**Ending Notes: So, how was the first chapter? Yay or nay? Please, please review. **


	2. Chapter 2

Megumi-chan: I'm back with another chapter, and this is when Zack and Cloud show up! Yay~

**Claim:** I own Mei and any other original characters that may show up.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Zack or Cloud, nor any of the other FFVII characters. Square Enix does.

**~*~Log II: Arrival~*~**

Slender fingertips traced over the dim silver picture frame, and soft smile quirked at pale pink lips, corners curving upward as blue green eyes softened. Mei reached over and plucked the picture from the nightstand, bringing it to her for closer inspection.

The simple polaroid was of her and an taller dark haired male, both smiling for the camera, despite the sun that beat down behind them. Mei's lips parted. "Zack...you idiot. I miss you." The picture frame fell into her lap as her hands rose to shield her eyes, hoping to stem the sparkling tears that pushed at the edges of her eyes. "Come home..." Twin droplets of sparkling silver slipped through her slender fingers to land on the protective glass of the photograph.

Mei sniffled, shoulders shaking as she desperately tried to stem the tears, stop them from flowing down her cheeks as her breathing hitched, bangs swaying against her forehead in a gentle caress. Lowering her hands once her tears had been momentarily stopped, she wiped away the droplets of liquid from the glass and placed it back on the nightstand before rising from her bed.

Wiping the last of her tears from her eyes, Mei exited her room and headed down the narrow wooden staircase, aged oakwood creaking beneath her weight as one slender hand trailed over the chipped railing. Entering the kitchen, Mei grabbed a small tea pot and placed it on the back burner, filling it with water before lighting the metal coil beneath it and leaning against the counter as she waited for the water to heat up.

Glancing out the window, Mei's blue green eyes met with pitch darkness, the sun having already faded away from the sky, shrouding the small house and surrounding forest in a blanket of shadows. Mei's eyes slid shut as she sighed quietly. It was lonely, to say the least. Silence was her only companion since her mother had passed away, and Zack hadn't visited in more than a year. Just what the hell was that idiot doing, anyway?

Mei was brought out of her thoughts by two sharp knocks at the front door, and her eyes snapped to the large retangle of wood, and the two knocks repeated again, this time more urgent. Mei grumbled something under her breath and leapt off the counter and headed towards the door. The knocking persisted again.

"Alright alright, I'm coming!" she snapped irritably before reaching the door and swinging it open with enough force to nearly rip it off it's rusted hinges. "What the hell do you-" Irritated blue green met with all too familiar mako. "...Want." finished Mei weakly, and her eyes widened in disbelief, irriation melting away instantly, as if it had never been there.

She stood there for a few momets before her lips parted again. "Z-Zack? Is that you?" she asked in a trembling voice, hardly daring to believe it as silence filled the air again for a few seconds before the soft, comforting voice that she had missed so much replied,

"Yeah. It's me."

Mei backed up. "Come in." she said softly before turning as the sound of boots stepping heavily reached her ears, and she placed a few tea leaves in the pot of warm water before turning back around so that she could see her best friend once more.

She could see him more clearly now that he was out of the dark, and she blinked at the subtle- and not so subtle- changes that her friend had gone through in his absence. He was taller, something that Mei internally pouted at, now she would never catch up! But he was somehow more mature, not the silly, joking goof that he had once been. A large buster sword was strapped against his back, a lock of dark hair hanging down in his face as he turned to her. But there was one thing that stood out the most.

Heaved over one large shoulder was a younger male- probably younger than Mei herself- with spikey sunshine hair and dull, glassy mako eyes that glinted in the artificial light of the room as Zack sat him in a chair. Noticing her gaze, Zack smiled softly. "His name is Cloud, by the way."

Mei blinked. "Oh." she breathed as Zack straightened up, and she hesitated before darting forward and nearly tackling him as her arms wound around him, and she buried her face in his chest as his own arms wound around her, holding her close. "I missed you." she whispered, soft voice trembling with tears as she looked at him, and his eyes softened.

"Sorry." he replied, holding her close as he repeated his words, "I'm sorry."

Mei broke away, a ghost of a smile playing around her lips as she turned back to the tea and poured three cups before bringing them to the rickety old table. "If you don't mind me asking, Zack, why are you and Cloud here? I thought you were in SOLDIER." she spoke, and Zack lowered his gaze to the surface of the table.

"Something's come up. Cloud and I defected, they were going to do experiments on us." Zack looked up, mako gaze serious. "Can we stay here for a bit?"

Mei nodded silently, smiling gently as she replied, "Of course. Just wait a minute, okay?" Without saying anything else, Mei rose from the table and grabbed a roughly sewn sack off the counter and stepped outside for a few moments before coming back in, sack empty. At Zack's inquiring gaze, Mei elaborated, "Cloaking Materia."

Zack blinked, raising an eyebrow. "When did you get ahold of cloaking materia?" he questioned, and Mei giggled, holding a finger up to her soft pink lips.

"That's a secret." she said in a teasing tone, though Zack had the feeling that there was more to it than that. Letting it drop for now, he watched as she stepped into the hallway. "Mother didn't change your room from when you stayed here, and there's a spare room that Cloud can use." she said as she pulled a few blankets out of a closet. Zack looked around.

"Where is Satsuki?" he inquired curiously, and Mei fell silent, shoulders slumping as she lowered her gaze. Zack frowned. "Mei?"

"Mother...died a year ago, Zack." she answered softly before looking back up and smiling brightly, though the mako eyed boy knew it was fake. "I'm going to get the beds set up, okay?" she turned and headed down the hall slowly, Zack's gaze trained upon her narrow back.

Mei had grown taller while he had been gone, though that wasn't all that had changed. Her hair now reached her mid back in glistening sheets of mahogany brown, face no longer as childish, ears pierced with small pieces of pale saphhire, most of the light and happiness gone from those sparkling blue green depths. She was dressed a black mid thigh skirt with matching shorts beneath, bindings running down her legs and a sleeveless black leather shirt that showed off her slender, well muscled arms.

Zack frowned. Where was the small girl he had left behind? The one with a too skinny frame, short brown hair and a sarcastic comeback to everything? Lowering his gaze, he chuckled wryly. _'She grew up, I guess.'_ he thought, looking back up as soft footsteps approached him, and Mei's face entered his vision.

"Zack? Is something wrong?" she asked, worry written on her soft features as she frowned, and Zack shook his head with a small smile.

"No, nothing's wrong. Thanks." he said, and Mei shook her head with a smile.

"It's not a problem, so don't worry about it, 'kay?" she spoke, and she giggled as Zack nodded. Yawning softly, Mei took a seat and propped her head up as she gave her friend a lazy smile. "So, whatcha been up to since you left? 'Cause I don't think blondie will answer if I ask him."

Zack chuckled and smiled warmly. "Now, where do I begin..."

**~*~*~*~*~**

Zack smiled gently at Mei's sleeping face, brown bangs hanging in her face as her chest rose and fell gently, soft lips parted slightly as she continued to sleep. Standing up, Zack lifted the sleeping female into his arms easily, her weight nothing compared to when he had to lift Cloud up, though the fact that she didn't weigh that much sort of worried him.

Heading up the stairs, Zack turned towards Mei's room and opened the door, a nostalgic smile spreading across his lips as he glanced at the soft mesh of glacier blue and white, and he stepped towards Mei's bed, laying her down before covering her up with the blankets. Glancing over, his eyes softened as he saw the picture on her nightstand. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss against her forehead before turning and leaving.

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**Ending Notes: **Again, please review. ^^


	3. Chapter 3

Megumi-chan: Back with the third chapter in less than a day. ^^ I'm on a roll! Yay~

**Claim:** I own Mei and any other original characters that may appear.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Zack, Cloud, Materia or anything pertaining to FFVII. Square Enix does.

**~*~Log III: Leaving~*~**

Soft sunlight spilt through the crystaline window, sleepy golden rays brushing along Mei's sleeping face as her eyelids twitched slightly before sliding open, and she sat up slowly, hair swishing against her back as she rubbed at her eyes and yawned.

Footsteps reached her ears from downstairs, and she frowned for a moment before remembering that Zack and Cloud had shown up last night. Smiling gently, Mei got out of bed and brushed her hair, bangs falling back into place as she walked down the hallway, peering into Cloud's room, as it was the closest one to her own, being right across from it. The blonde was still sleeping, which meant that Zack was downstairs.

Heading down the stairs, Mei glanced at Zack just as he turned around, and he flashed her a smile. "Good morning." he greeted, and Mei raised an eyebrow, hands on her hips as she returned the greeting.

"'Morning." she said before peering around him and blinking. Turning to stare at him, she frowned slightly. "Do I even want to know," she threw her hand back to point at the mess on the stove, "What that is?"

Zack grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he looked away, trying to look deceptively innocent. "I was trying to make breakfast." he answered innocently, and Mei stared at him, blue green eyes betraying no emotion, face blank. Zack shifted uncomfortably. Slowly, the smaller girl's lips parted.

"You're an idiot." she said simply before her lips twitched into a smile, and a slender hand rose to her mouth to stiffle her laughter as her eyes slid shut. "Y-you don't cook toast on a pan, you moron!" she cackled, managing to point towards the toaster in the corner, "You use that."

Zack blinked. "Right. I knew that." he responded, and Mei rolled her eyes before clicking her tounge and pushing him out of the kitchen.

"Sure you did. Now out, I'll fix breakfast. See if you can wake up Cloud or something, 'kay?" said Mei with a bright smile as she removed her hands from Zack's shoulders and turned, back facing him as she began to clean up the mess from the pan and washed it off with water. Zack stared at her for a few moments before turning and heading back up the stairs.

Smiling, Mei placed breakfast on the table, consisting of toast and eggs, as well as three glasses of orange juice. Looking up, the smile widened as Zack came down the stairs, supporting Cloud, who stared at the ground with glassy mako eyes. Frowning slightly, Mei reached forward and brushed pale blonde locks out of the younger boy's face.

"Is there anything that might reverse the mako addiction?" she asked, and Zack shook his head.

"No, it has to fade on it's own." he said before grabbing a few pieces of toast and eggs and beginning to eat. Turning her gaze away from the blonde, Mei began to eat as well before rising from her seat.

"I'm going to look around outside the house, okay? Don't go anywhere." she said in a teasing tone, though she was completely serious. If Shinra was still after the two boys, the last thing she needed was for them to be seen in broad daylight- at least in such garishly obvious clothes. _'Note to self: Buy new clothes for Cloud and Zack.'_ she thought before heading out the door.

Walking away from the house and turning around, Mei noted in happiness that the house was still cloaked by the materia, though it wouldn't fool the Shinra soldiers for long if they decided to come this way. Mei frowned. _'We might have to use the tunnel...'_ she thought, biting her lip as her hands clenched into fists. She stood there for several moments, brown bangs covering her expression as she stared at the ground.

Blue green eyes flickered and blinked as a faint buzzing sound reached her ears and she looked up, eyes narrowing as she scanned the area for the source of the noise, muscles tensing. The buzzing became a low, choppy hum, and her eyes widened as she whirled around, eyes snapping towards the sky. A helicopter was approaching from the distance. Mei grit her teeth, fingernails digging into her palms.

"Shit!" she cursed before turning and all but darting back into the house, slamming the door behind her as Zack looked up in surprise.

"Mei?" The brown haired girl didn't answer for several moments before she looked up, blue green eyes narrowed. "What's wrong?" he demanded.

"Shinra." was the only thing she said before darting up the stairs quickly and then coming back down a few minutes later with a large backpack. Pulling Cloud up from his seat, she handed him to Zack as he stood up, and then handed the black haired boy the backpack. Grabbing his hand, she jerked him down the hallway. "Follow me."

Zack stumbled after her clumsily, wondering just what the hell was going on as Mei released his hand and kicked away an old table and a rug, sending the old furniture into the opposite wall, where it collided with a tremendous crack and splintered, spraying woodchips on the floor. Blinking, Zack stared at Mei's back as she bent down. _'Since when was she that strong?'_ he thought, staring at the now destroyed table.

His attention was drawn back to his childhood friend as she pulled up a large trap door that had been disguised as part of the floor and looked up at him, gaze impatient. "Stay on the steps, don't move until I get back." she ordered, face grim as she watched Zack head down the stone steps and disappear into the dingy gloom before she shut the door and moved the rug back over.

Stepping out of the house, Mei removed the materia, house flickering back into sight as she tensed, feet spread apart for proper balance as she clenched her hands into fists, eyes narrowing as her face became neutral.

Staring at the ground, Mei heard the click of guns being loaded before she looked back up, gazing indifferently at the Shinra soldiers in front of her as she blinked slowly. "Yes?" she asked quietly, voice subdued.

"Do you know the whereabouts of Cloud Strife and Zack Fair?" questioned one of the soldier's in a monotone, and Mei looked up, gaze serious as she replied,

"No."

Deliberately, one of the soldiers moved towards the house, gun raised. Quickly, Mei darted in front of him, arm extending as her fist connected with the soldier's face, and he fell to the ground. Lowering her hand, she shifted into a defensive position, bringing her fists up as she said, "You're not going to get them. I won't let you."

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

Zack looked up as the trap door opened once more, and Mei leapt down beside him, pulling the door shut with one arm before turning towards him, a strained smile pulling at her lips. Staring at her, he frowned as he spotted dark red blood spilling down her pale arm like crimson paint on a canvas.

Noticing his gaze, Mei blinked and covered the wound. "It's just a graze, don't worry. It looks worse than it is." she said brightly, and Zack gave her an unsure look before shrugging. Leaning down, Mei grabbed a lamp and lit it, bathing the narrow passageway in front of them in pale light. Zack glanced around and whistled.

"Wow. Since when was this here?" he asked, and Mei glanced over her shoulder, flashing a tight, weak smile.

"Father built it before he..." she let her sentance trail off, and Zack nodded. Smiling gratefully, Mei walked forward, footsteps echoing off the concrete walls as she held out the lamp, shadows cast along the wall like fleeting ghosts that flickered with each movement of the tiny flame within the lamp.

Halfway through the tunnel, Mei paused to pull out her phone, dull silver paint glittering obscurely as she dialed several numbers and held it to her ear. A smile lit up her face as the person on the other line answered, "Hey, Claire? Yes, it's me, Mei." Mei glanced back at Zack and Cloud before continuing, "Something came up, I'm using the tunnel- no, I'm not in any sort of trouble....what's that supposed to mean?" Mei laughed, "Anyway, I've got two others with me, so is it okay if we stay with you for a while? Until we can get a hotel or something? Thanks Claire. I owe ya one."

Mei snapped the phone shut and pocketed it before holding up the lamp once more as Zack blinked. "Who was that?" he asked curiously. Mei turned and grinned, half of her face bathed in the shadows of the tunnel.

"A good friend of mine."

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**Ending Notes:** Yay or nay? Review, please. ^^


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